Drivel II
by Jodi2011
Summary: No one is safe as this twisted tale continues. Best to read Drivel before reading here. Rated M for angst, horror, violence, bad language, adult themes
1. Chapter 1

**_This continues the events begun in Drivel._**

**_I strongly suggest you read Drivel before reading Drivel II_**

_Drivel II is set a number of years after Drivel and about 8 months after Season 4, so follows the show's storyline - wherein Jack is declared dead and is in hiding from the US Government and the Chinese. Only Tony and Michelle know Jack is still alive._

_Chase and Kim are married and they are raising Chase's daughter Angela. Chase is no longer with CTU, he works security in Valencia, CA._

_**rated M - this fic contains angst, torture, violence, profanity... with a touch of the supernatural.**_

* * *

Jack stretched out. It felt good to be moving his cramped muscles after having remained in one position for so many hours. His cover wasn't really adequate but the tree house had been built for kids, not covert operations, so he really had no grounds for complaint. And it did provide a clear vantage point over his target across the street.

The tidy home sat on a street of matching tidy homes filled with young families, all with two cars in the garage and a dog lying on the back porch. Although the homes had all been built around the same period, enough time had elapsed for landscaping and slight modifications to make each home an individual.

The house two doors along had an addition over the garage, probably a teen bedroom or perhaps an office. The neighbour's north of the target had a lawn strewn with bikes, trikes, wagons and strollers, all in various states of deconstruction. Jack recalled the house had three boys who favoured inventing wheeled creations which were then destroyed during noisy demolition derby's.

The target house was very trim but it had an air of neglect about it. The lawn needed mowing and the fallen blossoms had not been raked and that worried him, it had always been kept picture perfect. There was definitely something wrong in that house with the white picket fence.

The last time he'd been here the house was full of life with neighbourhood kids hanging from the ancient cherry tree out the back, the BBQ sending up aromatic smoke signals and Danny the chocolate lab stretched out on the back porch, his tail wagging in time with the kids' squeals of laughter.

Today the yard was deserted despite the glorious weather. He had been watching the house for over six hours and the occupants hadn't stirred although he knew someone was there. Earlier the neighbour from the house with the pretty garden had walked over with a covered dish of food. She had only stayed talking for a few minutes but it at least confirmed someone was inside.

A van pulled into the driveway and two boys jumped out, their laughter stopped suddenly as their mother cautioned them. Jack tried to remember their names... Luke and Peter? No, Luke and Paul. Their mum, Helen, passed a bunch of flowers to one of the boys to carry as she lifted a food hamper from the rear of the van. He tensed as they approached the front door and he found himself holding his breath as he raised the binoculars and focused in.

Another disadvantage to the tree house was it only afforded a side view of the target, so while it gave excellent coverage of both the front and rear yards, he couldn't see the front door. He was tempted to throw caution to the wind and walk past to catch a glimpse, but knew it was too risky. Above all things it was imperative he remain unseen.

The boys and their mother went into the house and Jack had had enough. The only thing this surveillance had shown him was that something was wrong in the house but he had known that before he'd even arrived in the city.

Gathering up his binoculars and bottles, one of water, one for waste, he stowed them in his backpack and had a quick check to ensure he had everything. He knew where to go for answers and he felt the anger mount at the thought of how he had been betrayed.

Movement caught his eye and he saw Danny bounce down the steps, the leash held in his mouth. Jumping in circles he was obviously delighted to be out and Jack could hear his excited bark as he called to Luke and Paul who took the dropped leash and left on a walk.

But Jack didn't even notice them leave. Instead he watched as Helen moved out from the shade of the front porch and stood watching her sons. A young girl ran out to join her and for a moment Jack didn't even realise who she was. She's grown so much he marvelled, what a difference 8 months can make.

But he was shocked at her appearance, he remembered her as being a normal active four year old but now she was overly thin and pale, her eyes looking enormous and dark rimmed even without the aid of the binoculars. Had she been ill?, was that what was wrong?

His breath caught in his throat as his daughter, gaunt and pale, joined them. The two women linked arms and returned into the house with Angie while Jack's eyes filled with tears. Tears of joy that Kim and Angie were okay, tears of sorrow at the realisation that something had happened to Chase.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack couldn't get the image of Kim out of his head; her hair lank and lifeless, the dress on her too skinny frame looking several sizes too large. But it was her demenour which shocked him the most. She moved as if old, her balance unsteady. Helen hadn't taken her arm for sisterly comfort but to offer a support. Christ, what's happened?

Once a month a package would arrive with updates and photos of Kim and her family. The last package held an extra bonus with a disk of Angie's fifth birthday party and he had watched the DVD over and over. The sound of their happy laughter brought tears to his eyes, he missed them so much. But last week no package arrived and his emergency signals remained unanswered. So here he was, and he wanted answers.

The security lights came on as the garage doors began to open and he watched and waited for his chance as the black BMW reversed down the driveway and quietly purred away into the night. With a whir of automatic gears the garage doors began to descend and Jack ran silently across the paved courtyard and rolled under the doors into the garage. A black SUV looked huge under the bright lights and he remained crouched beside it until the lights had clicked off and his eyes adjusted to the near pitch dark.

A line of light illustrated the house door and he made his way over to it and listened for any sounds, but the house remained silent. Twisting the door handle he was pleased to find it unlocked. Slipping through the door he could hear the dishwasher as it hummed through it's drying cycle but that was the only sound.

Following the lights, he found a Cubs game playing on the large screen TV in the den with the sound muted. Tony was absorbed in some papers at his desk while the fax machine still churned out more. Tony glanced up and did a double take when he saw Jack, "Jesus Jack, you shouldn't be here."

"I wouldn't need to be if you'd kept your word. You said you'd look after them for me Tony... I've just been to the house and they look like refugees damnit."

"It hasn't been easy for anyone Jack, they-"

"What's happened to Chase?"

Tony sighed, he had been dreading having to provide Jack with an explanation. "Come and sit down. There's lots to explain and I can't do it with you pacing around." He rose from the desk and took a bottle and two glasses from the cabinet. Pouring generous measures of the malt whiskey he said, "I know how you must be feeling Jack."

"Don't dare to patronise me Tony! I've been getting monthly reports for the last six months and then nothing, silence. I try to contact you and again nothing. I go to my daughter's home and they appear ill. Facts Tony, I want facts. So where's Chase?"

"He's missing... vanished ... he left for work one morning and never arrived. His car was found two days later but there's been no sign of him. The cops put it down to a husband having itchy feet in a cold marriage and say he'll turn up when he's ready." Tony glanced across, unsure how this news would be received.

"Itchy feet, cold marriage? Start at the beginning," Jack pleaded.

"Look Jack, we all knew Kim would take news of your death hard, but she closed down completely. Chase was great with her but she ... Jack she was pregnant," he glanced over at Jack, uncertain whether to continue when Jack bent over, his eyes closed.

Hoping to get it over with, Tony began speaking quickly,"She was two months pregnant but they hadn't told anyone, they were planning to tell you that weekend when you came to LA with Heller. Instead they were informed of your death and then handed an urn with your ashes. Kim went to pieces. Everyone; Chase, Michelle, Chloe, Chase's sister, they all tried to help her but in the end she needed to be hospitalised and she had a miscarriage."

Jack looked coldly at Tony, doing his best to remain dispassionate as he gathered the needed intel, "And the rest?"

"She came out of hospital and seemed to be getting better. She was seeing a therapist and putting some weight back on when Chase vanished and well... Jack she lost her father, her baby and her husband in a short space of time. It's a lot of pain."

"You think I don't realise that?... How long since Chase went missing?"

Tony stared down at his drink, unwilling to watch Jack as he absorbed the facts, "Three weeks, almost four."

Jack jumped to his feet and Tony looked up silently as Jack strode towards him. He thought he was about to be hit and really he couldn't blame him, but instead Jack leaned over him, his voice breaking "Why the hell didn't you tell me? You promised Tony... you promised to help my family." Jack's arms rose over his head in despair and he wrapped them around his head before bending suddenly, about to be sick.

The dry heaves eventually stopping, Tony tried to finish up, "Hundreds of husbands disappear every week in California, it's hard to get the police interested unless there are signs of a crime. I tried to get CTU involved but as Chase doesn't work there anymore it was halted by Division. Chloe and Edgar have both been helping on their own time."

Tony stood up and moved back from his desk, feeling uncomfortable at having Jack stand over him. "Chase's work offered a $10,000 reward for his safe return and Kim upped it to $100,000 -" Seeing Jack's look of surprise, Tony added softly, "Kim got a bit over $1 million from your life insurance -" Tony faltered at the realisation that with Jack back alive, questions would now be asked about insurance fraud. He shook his head, trying to dispell the growing ache pounding behind his eyes.

Continuing on, he said," But all the reward has done is get all the UFO and conspiracy theorists jumping up and down. We've engaged a private eye but still nothing there yet ... Trust me Jack, we've done everything possible. I didn't want to tell you because I knew this is what you'd do. You're not helping yourself or your family by being here. Sighing heavily, Tony said, "Anyhow, I hoped maybe the cops were right and Chase would simply walk in the door one day."

Jack was furious and let it show, "Christ Tony, Chase is the most loyal person I know and he loves Kim and Angie, he'd never just abandon them. Did he give any indication he'd leave?... any hint?"

"Not to me, no. But he was really upset about your death, not just because he's your son-in-law, but at the manner in which everything was handled. He keep badgering CTU with lots of questions until finally I told him to stop. We had a big argument and we didn't speak after that." Not that we ever did talk much, he's always been quiet around me, he felt like adding. But Jack had always cut Chase a lot of slack, more than he did for anyone else apart from Kim, so he wisely kept silent.

"And so that's it?" asked Jack. "We do nothing?" He began pacing again, unable to stand still.

Tony sighed and returned to his desk, "I asked David over at CSI to run Chase's car through their system. It took some time as they had the scheduled work to complete first. The report was coming in just as you arrived." He picked up the papers from the fax machine and scanned through quickly. "Oh, here's something," he looked at the page, frowning.

"Jack!"

Alerted by his tone Jack reached for the paper and read down the page carefully until he saw the final item and as he read, the hairs on the back of his neck rose in trepidation.

_Located upper right dashboard: one tuft of surgical thread, braided silk, triple AAA quality. Tied in a complex knot known as the 'Surgeon's Loop'_

"Liz." Jack whispered.

But Tony was still focused on the final page, "Jack, they've identified the knot, it's used in fly fishing. The official name is 'Surgeon's Loop', but it's more commonly known as 'Jack's Lure'."


	3. Chapter 3

Tony hung up the phone, "She's on her way over and she'll bring Edgar."

"Why was he included, are they together?"

"No," laughed Tony. "They irritate the hell out of each other, actually they're both experts at pissing off everyone, but we needed Edgar's skills to help arrange your death and Chloe seemed convinced we could trust him... Look Jack this can't be Liz, it must be someone copy-catting her methods, didn't you see her kill herself?"

"Not directly, no. But if she faked her death, it was damn clever what she did. She was naked and running away from me when she hid behind some crates. We were talking, then the shot gun blast. When I reached her, half her face was blown away and her legs were splayed wide so I didn't look too closely. She must have shot her sister and then assumed her life."

Jack sighed at the enormity of this new horror. "Chase said he dreamed Liz visited him in the hospital... but he was on so much pain medication it was easy to dismiss as a nightmare. She probably went to gloat over what she'd done... How many days has she had him for this time?"

"It's been 25, no 26 days. But he can't still be alive Jack, remember what she did the last time, and she only had him a few hours then."

Jack tried to remain focused on the problem and block out any thoughts of the ordeal Chase could be going through. He loved Chase like a son and the best way to help him now was to remain detached. "No, she'll keep him alive until she doesn't need him for bait anymore... But how the hell did she know I'm not really dead? Damnit, she's always been one step ahead, she outsmarted me at every turn last time, it's uncanny the way her mind works... she's a fascinating study."

Tony couldn't keep the shock from his voice, "It sounds as if you admire her!"

"She's a brilliant tactician, but unbelievably twisted. No, I certainly don't admire her and this time I won't be underestimating her either."

"We'll hand this over to the FBI, you're not going anywhere near her. First off, you need to stay out of sight and second, she's officially dead. How the hell can you expect to catch a ghost?"

"You forget Tony, I'm officially dead too. Who better to catch a ghost than another ghost?"


	4. Chapter 4

Michelle arrived home from her squash game and in a sudden flurry of activity Jack was hugged and kissed, fed a chicken sandwich followed by coffee, with the whiskey bottle firmly removed. Placing a plate of freshly baked brownies before him, Michelle wrapped one of Jack's hands in both of hers.

"I'm sorry Jack, you must feel we've let you down so badly. First Kim and the baby, and now Chase... perhaps if we'd-"

"No Michelle, please don't. I'm grateful for all you and Tony have done, you've been good friends." Jack glanced over to Tony hoping he was listening. He had been quick to judge earlier and he wanted him to know he didn't blame them in anyway. "But I'm worried about Angie, she looks ill... and why isn't she in kindergarten?"

"She was, but last week they asked Kim not to bring her anymore. She kept crying and it upset the other children. Kim had told her Chase was away for a work trip but one of the older kids told her he was missing and that's when the nightmares began... she wakes up screaming, saying she can hear Daddy crying."

Michelle left the table and returned with a box of tissues. Wiping her eyes she continued, "You know how close Chase and Angie are, I wondered about ESP, so I asked her if she could see where he was. It's too dark she said, dark and cold and he's sad. She now asks Kim to keep all the lights on at night so he can find his way home again from the dark."

Tony joined them at the table and he wrapped his arms around Michelle as she sobbed. After a moment's hesitation, he reached across and squeezed Jack's shoulder just as the doorbell rang.

"That will be Chloe and Edgar," and he rose to let them in.

Jack excused himself and fled to the bathroom where he splashed water on his face and rinsed out his mouth, the urge to vomit overwhelming. Images of Angie's face swam before his eyes. Her look solomn and her eyes large and pleading, her face kept morphing into the face of Chase and he leaned over the basin, his stomach heaving, but nothing came up.

A knock sounded at the door and he opened it to find Michelle waiting, "Chloe says she has something... look I'm sorry Jack... about Angela, I said too much."

"It's fine Michelle, I'm glad you told me... let's go see what Chloe has."

"Death doesn't suit you Jack," was all Chloe said as she set up her laptop. Turning to the others, she said, "I think I know where Liz has Chase."

"How the hell did you manage that?" scoffed Tony.

"Well once you have all the information it's really easy," she answered. "But you only told me Liz was involved one hour ago and that totally changed the parameters." She glared at Tony accusingly and he felt the heat rise in his face.

"So what do you have?" he asked softly.

"Liz is smart and she likes to play games so everything means something, there are clues all over.. Chase's car was found facing north on Sierra St, parked outside the Nevada Book Store. So we have north, Sierra, Nevada... that's easy, the Sierra Nevada Mountains are north of here. Under the car wiper was a flyer for a new fast food restaurant that does donner kebabs and this being Liz, she'll love the Donner Pass area."

Seeing the puzzled looks around her Chloe explained, "You know, the wagon train that got snowed in for six months in the winter of 1840 something. Half of them died and the remainder survived by eating the dead. I'm sure Liz would fine that appealing."

Unfolding a map, Chloe continued, "We have fly fishing which indicates water, but it needs to be isolated too and there's a body of water near Donner Pass that's  
perfect, and that's where you'll find them... Lake Angela."

Tony turned away in anger. It was all too contrived... or was it too simple?... it was all nuts is what it was.

Jack was silent as he looked over Chloe's shoulder at the topo map of the lake. "There's no road access and the snow cover is still deep, the last of the Donner Party didn't get out until late April, but there's a snowshoe trail," Chloe said helpfully.

Jack was startled when Edgar cleared his throat, "I have the PI report here. He's been following up on the letters that came in after Kim posted the reward. A medium  
in Santa Clarita emailed," he paused as he tried not to laugh at the thought of a medium needing to email, "Anyway, she says Chase is still alive and he can be found near a frozen angel."

"A frozen angel?" Tony asked.

"Yes," Jack said quietly. "Lake Angela will still be frozen." Patting her on the shoulder, he said, "Thank you Chloe, well done."

* * *

_**author's note;** I was looking at a map of the Sierra Nevadas, wondering if there were some lakes in the area which I could include in the fic - and how spooky to find there is a Lake Angela!_


	5. Chapter 5

_"Please Grandpa Jack, please... find Daddy... help my Daddy come home."_

His heart pounding wildly, Jack lurched forward as he reached blindly for the bedside light, his fingers scrambling for the switch. Pressing the button, light flooded the room and he lay back on the twisted sheets waiting for his racing heart to eventually calm. Going to the bathroom he took a long drink of water then returned to bed to study the PI's report, he had no intention of going back to sleep tonight. The nightmare had been disturbing, with Angie's cry of anguish piercing his heart.

Several hours later Jack awoke to a knocking at the door and the sun bright through the curtains. Throwing his arm across his eyes which felt gritty and inflamed, he croaked out, "Come in," as he pulled the sheet up to cover his bare chest. Michelle entered the room with a tray which she placed on his lap as he pulled himself up. "Here's your breakfast Jack. I didn't want to disturb you but Chloe and Edgar will be here shortly."

Seeing his discomfort, she passed him his tee-shirt off the chair where he'd thrown it last night, and turned off the bedside lamp, preparing to leave.

"Thanks Michelle... listen, do you think Angie could have ESP? She's only five."

"I don't think age has anything to do with it. Sometimes an emotional crisis can enhance a person's natural ability and Chase and Angela do have a strong bond, so yes, she could have ESP."

"Last night I dreamt that Angie was talking to me."

"About helping Chase?"

"Yeah," he couldn't keep his surprise from showing.

Sitting on the end of the bed she said, "Jack, you've always been very protective of your family and that's a wonderful trait, but under the circumstances I don't think it's a good idea for you to get involved. Liz will be waiting and there won't be CTU resorces for you to fall back on. It would be wiser to give all the information to the FBI and let them handle it."

"That sounds remarkably like what Tony thinks," he muttered as he ate the eggs and toast, suddenly hungry.

Michelle laughed, "Just because we agree for once it doesn't mean we're wrong."

"Anymore than my disagreeing with you means I'm wrong. Sorry Michelle, but I'm already involved. She only took Chase to get me and I'll do whatever it takes to get him home again to Kim and Angie.:" Putting down his fork, Jack shook his head, "Christ Michelle, I've screwed up their lives so much."

The doorbell sounded and after a moment they could hear Tony greeting Chloe and Edgar. "The team's assembled," Michelle said as she rose.

"I want to go to Santa Clarita and visit this Rosita Lopez, the medium. She said to stop by any morning between 8 and 10am, I was hoping you'd come with me."

Sitting again, Michelle looked at Jack. "Don't. You don't know what you're playing with here Jack. Fate, it's not something you toy with."

"That's why I want you to come, you've had some experiance."

"Well then listen to my voice of experiance and forget it... look Jack, unless you know what you're doing it can backfire. They tell you to beware of a blue car and you're so focused on that you don't notice the 18 wheeler as it runs you over."

"And that's why I want to go. The more information I have the better prepared I'll be."

"Information can be misconstrued, it can get distorted. I'm sorry Jack but I can't do it and you shouldn't either."

"Thanks Michelle, I appreciate your concern, but I'm going. I'll be back in an hour."


	6. Chapter 6

Showered and dressed, Jack carried the breakfast tray out to the kitchen where he found 'the team' working at the table, all focused on their laptops. "It looks like CTU in here," he joked.

Tony barely looked up from his screen, "We have more on Liz and it doesn't look good."

Jack unloaded the tray and pulled up a chair next to Tony who rapidly ran through the facts. "Liz, or Maggie as she's been calling herself, sold the house in Arizona and moved to Tahoe. I guess she needed to move as Maggie's friends would have realised she was an imposter."

He scanned through some files rapidly, then slowed again, "Judging by her credit card bills she's been doing lots of reading over the last few year. She's bought books on meditation, the human mind, mind games and lateral thinking problems, brainwashing, Tahoe history, the Donner Party, hiking guides, sex manuals."

Chloe took over, "Six months ago she had three weeks in China, most of her time was spent in Beijing."

"And," added Edgar, "She has about $200 in international calls to China a month, but last month it spiked to $500."

"So she's working with the Chinese to get me," Jack stood and began pacing in front of the window.

"Maybe not," pointed out Michelle, "The Chinese angle could be something else entirely. One of the books she bought is 'To Cleanse the Mind', by Richard Turner. He's an American psychologist who claims you can brainwash a subject in only two weeks by using chemicals with an overlay of audio/visual. He was a Major in the army but had a dishonourable discharge, the records are sealed." Turning to Chloe, she said, "Perhaps you can find out more there?"

Michelle continued, "Turner now works for the Chinese military and he's based in Beijing. Possibly Liz met him there."

Jack nodded, "Her father was a Major in the army, I wonder if the two Majors knew each other? Something else for you to check up on please Chloe."

"Okay, I'm working on it," she scowled, trying not to show how pleased she was that she was needed.

"So where's all her money coming from?" asked Jack.

"We don't know exactly. She gets royalties from Maggie's cook book sales, and she did okay from the sale of the house, but she must have other income too."

Edgar looked up, "She has an account with a video company in San Francisco. They do mainly gay and lesbian S&M but last year they were investigated for allegations of child pornography and snuff films. But nothing could be proven. She's got a credit of over $10,000 with them, but I can't tell yet how she's making the money."

"It seems she hasn't mellowed any over time," mused Tony.

'No," said Jack with a sigh. "Look, I'm going out for a bit, I won't be long."

* * *

Jack parked the car across the street from the house and sat, undecided. He had called to check if it was okay to visit, but he could still back out. He replayed Michelle's words, _Fate, it's not something you play with._ But isn't that what he'd been doing all those years at CTU... changing people's fates? No, fate is what happens when you sit back and do nothing and he was damned if he was going to sit back and let the FBI screw up Chase's rescue.

As he went to knock on the door he couldn't suppress a shiver of fear. Liz had held Chase for 27 days now, what hell was she doing to him this time?

The door was opened by a jovial looking man in his late 40's. Barefoot and waving a dripping paintbrush, he looked Jack over. "I don't suppose you're the painter who failed to arrive two days ago?"

Shaking his head, he said, "No sorry, I'm Jack, we spoke on the phone."

"Come on in, I'm Adam, Mama's expecting you." Shaking his hand, he said, "She can't see well, but she's still sharp so don't let her looks fool you. Now, it's best of you don't touch her, that interferes with the connection. Did you bring something from your missing son?"

Jack pulled out a print of Chase, Kim and Angie taken off the the birthday party DVD. "He hasn't touched the photo, I hope it will do."

Careful not to touch it, Adam looked at the photo, "That should be fine. It's a nice looking family, I hope you find him soon."

"Thank you."

Jack was directed to walk through to the rear of the house into the sunroom. Filled with plants and bright sunlight, it took a moment for him to see the tiny woman down on her hands and knees as she pulled a few weeds from a large tub of ferns. "You must be Jack," she said, rising slowly and carefully to her feet. "I'm Rosie. Come and sit down young man and tell me your pain."

Jack waited until she was seated before pulling up a chair at the table beside her. Placing the photo next to her, he said, "My son-in-law Chase is missing. We're anxious to get him home."

Rosie looked at Jack for a long moment and he wondered how much she could see with her clouded eyes. Picking up the photo she didn't even glance at it, but held it sandwiched between her hands. "There's a lot of love here in this photogragh, but also pain. Pain from before it was taken." She paused and looked across at Jack again, causing him to flush guiltily. She reminded him of an aunt of his who always seemed to know his boyhood secrets.

Closing her eyes, Rosie said, "And there's much more pain since." Placing the photo down, she shook her head, "I can't get a feel of him. There was a strong pull when I got Adam to email you three days ago, but now he's gone."

Jack was scared to ask but Rosie wasn't offering anything further, "What do you mean by gone?... is he dead?"

"No, he's still alive but I could read him before, I saw him clearly even though he was down in the dark. I felt the strength as he fought... but now he's gone quiet."

"His daughter, my granddaughter, that's her in the photo, is it possible she's in touch with him?"

"Possibly, but I'm getting mixed signals. How long ago did she pass away?"

A chill went through Jack at the thought, but his voice was steady as he replied, "She's not dead, I saw her yesterday."

"He thinks they're dead. Everyone. He's surrounded by death. His wife and child here in the photo, a dead unborn son, you... that's why he's gone quiet. He isn't fighting anymore... everyone he loves is dead... and so now he's given up the struggle to live."


	7. Chapter 7

**_welcome ms24 - your lovely reviews are always appreciated :)_**

* * *

Jack arrived back at Tony and Michelle's house with over a dozen shopping bags. Tony looked up in annoyance but the harsh words died on his lips when he saw Jack's face. Instead he asked, "What's wrong?"

Jack slumped at the kitchen counter and smiled his thanks as Michelle passed him a large mug of coffee. "I went to see the medium, Rosita. She can no longer reach Chase. She says he's gone quiet over the last week, that he's given up. He thinks Kim and Angie are both dead and he's not fighting to stay alive anymore."

Taking a sip of coffee, he stated, "I'm leaving as soon as I get this gear organised. It's about a 7 hour drive, so I'll get some sleep in Tahoe and be on the trail by first light in the morning."

Michelle leaned over and placed the topo map in front of Jack. "Chloe found some old hiking notes on the snowshoe trail to the three sister lakes. The trail to Lake Angela will take two days in snowshoes if conditions are good. The area is seldom visited as there are stories of the lakes being haunted. It's likened to the Bermuda Triangle; you can't get cell phone reception and there are instances of compass failure." Taking up Jack's hand, Michelle pulled his arm slightly to ensure he would look up into her eyes, "Please Jack, let's not rush in -"

"There's still so much we don't know," Tony interjected quietly, "We need more time to-"

"No! Thank you Michelle and Tony but no, we're all out of time. I have to go now."

Michelle sighed. "We made a call to Max at CTU, to see if he knows of Turner. He said he'd ask some shrinks in the military and get back to us. At least wait to hear what he has to say. He knows your voice so you can't talk but if you have any questions, write them down and I'll ask for you."

"Thanks Michelle... for everything. If Max calls in the next 40 minutes I have a question for him, I want to know how Chase could be broken so quickly. He's trained to withstand torture and -" Jack stopped speaking, he could hear the anger in his voice and he hoped he didn't sound accusing.

Michelle said quietly, "But it's Liz here Jack and that will make it all the more personal, especially after the hell she put him through last time."

The ringing of the phone made them all jump and Tony reached across and pushed the speaker phone button. "Yeah?"

"Tony hi, it's Max. I couldn't find out much. Everyone's keeping very hush hush but it seems Turner fled the country just as he was about to be arrested on manslaughter charges. Two young recruits died, no one's sure if it was murder or suicide. His book isn't published in this country, no publisher would touch it, but you can still get a copy from overseas or through the underground booksellers."

"Thanks Max, but what's so controversial about his methods?"

"He uses drugs to break down the subject's sense of reality, then bombards them with images and sound 24 hours a day to modify their thinking. And yes, it can provide impressive results in a very short time span but it's also very brutal to a person's psyche. You potentially end up with the subject having a breakdown or committing suicide... or even going postal with a major massacre.  
"It's really ironic that Turner ended up in China as that's where the term 'brainwashing' originated. His book title 'To Cleanse the Mind' is the literal interpretation of the Chinese phrase for brainwashing. It was first used in the 1950's during the Korean War, when the Western POW's were being experimented on to denounce their country."

Jack nudged Michelle and passed over a scribbled question which she read before repeating it aloud, "Max, you might remember Chase Edmunds who was a field agent at CTU a few years ago. We think he's been subjected to this brainwashing but he's had training to withstand it. Could he break?"

"Yes, I remember Chase very well, and no, no amount of training can save you here because it's so invasive. How long has he been subjected to the brainwashing?"

"Possibly 27 days," Tony answered.

"What! Why the hell hasn't he been extracted?" Max's outraged voice thundered over the speaker.

"It's a long story," sighed Michelle. "Believe me, we're trying... is there any way of knowing whether he's been brainwashed or not?"

"You mean will he drool and walk around with zombie eyes?... no, apart from specialised tests, the only way you will know is if he picks up a gun and shoots his family."

"He can be made to do that?"

"I'm afraid so. Look, the biggest myth about brainwashing is that everyone thinks the strong, brave, intelligent soldier should be able to resist, but the reality is just the opposite. It's the dullard who isn't a good candidate; the smart, independent thinker makes exactly the ideal subject."

"Thanks Max, can we call you if we think of anything else?"

"Please do and hey, I want to know how it ends up with Chase. I liked him... it was a shame what happened to his old partner Jack Bauer."

"Yeah, thanks Max." Tony punched the phone off.

"Jack, you heard what he said. Chase could be programmed to kill. You know that twisted bitch is capable of anything."

Ignoring Tony's continued cautions, Jack finished strapping the two sets of snowshoes on his backpack and hefted it. "Thanks Michelle, Tony, I'll call you in the morning before I leave for the trail. I won't be taking my phone as it's just useless weight."

Throwing his pack in the rear of the car, Jack couldn't prevent a cold smile tugging at his lips. Enough of all this talking, it was time to get moving...


	8. Chapter 8

The snow swirled and danced around him and Jack stuck out his tongue to catch a flake as it tumbled towards him; he marvelled at the infinite variations of white in a white on white landscape; he watched in fascination as the steam from his piss rose in the still air. He did all this and more, noticing every minute detail of the world around him. Anything to stave off thoughts of what he was headed towards... Chase... Liz... what she might have done, what she might do next. There were so many possibilities, every single one of them monstrous.

It would have been so much better to have told Kim and Chase he was alive, but in hiding. Kim would now be a new mother with a one month old son, Chase would be at home with his family where he belonged and Angie would be the adoring big sister, unburdened by nightmares.

Taking a bandana from his pocket, Jack removed his Raybans and wiped his eyes as he laboured up the steep hill. The trees grew thicker here and a heavy silence hung over the woods, every sound absorbed by the lightly falling snow. Several times a fleeting movement would catch the corner of his eye and make him turn quickly, but there was never anything there.

The sense of being watched was with him again as he approached the crest of the hill. He paused to look around but could see nothing apart from more trees and more snow. Pulling out the compass, he shook it slightly in a futile attempt to ensure it was working correctly before checking his position on the topo map. After the long and exhausting slog through the snow all day yesterday, he was finally getting close to Azalea Lake, the first of the three sister lakes.

Finishing the energy bar, Jack stuffed the wrapper in the side pocket of his snow pants then continued down through the trees, his snowshoes making easy work of the slippery slope. He made his way through heavy spruce cover and emerged onto a rocky outcrop, the weak sunshine trying to break through the snow clouds.

Jack felt a shiver of foreboding run down his back. The lake below was black, the surrounding steep hills of snow covered spruce reflected off the ice of the lake to somehow form a black chasm. It was menacing, eerie, and Jack didn't tarry, his sense of unease now increasing with every mile covered. He didn't know if it was the landscape, his concern for Chase, or fear of Liz. Whatever it was, he'd be pleased to be away from here. The peaks of the old Donner Pass Trail were close by, he wondered if perhaps that was the source of his disquiet.

Checking his map again, Jack headed south for another two hours. He took a narrow pass between the hills and on past Flora Lake which he could barely glimpse through the trees. Finally, after another hour or so of easy going over a less wooded rise he arrived on the banks of Lake Angela. The lake was massive, sprawled over open terrain and Jack was pleased it held none of the sinister atmosphere of Azalea.

Pulling out his binoculars, Jack lay prone and began a sweep across the south end of the lakeshore. All their intel indicated Chase was here somewhere, all he needed to do was pinpoint the location. The clouds parted briefly overhead and rays of sunlight spread over the white landscape in a dazzling display of beauty. Jack closed his eyes against the intense glare but not before he had seen the glint of reflection.

Putting on his Raybans again, Jack tried to focus but the images were now too dark. Slipping the sunglasses up to the top of his head, he waited for his eyes to adjust before focusing in again. It was almost completely obscured by the thick snow, but a window glinted under the sunlight; a cabin was tucked away into a stand of spruce and larch.

There was no sign of activity; no smoke from either of the two chimneys, nor any tracks in the deep snow, but at least it was a place to begin his search. Packing up the  
binoculars, he checked his gun. This time he'd make sure she stayed dead.

Jack approached from the west then completed a full circuit of the log cabin which confirmed the snow lay undisturbed all around. His heart sank at the realisation that this wasn't the location. Chloe had stated no significant snow had fallen in the last two weeks so the cabin hadn't been visited recently. He would still need to check it out though, it could prove useful later as a bolt hole in an emergency.

Struggling out of his pack, Jack placed it on the porch as he unstrapped his snow shoes. Beating the encrusted ice off them, he placed them with his pack as he stepped up onto the porch and tried the door. To his surprise it was unlocked and it swung silently open at his touch. Pulling his gun, he waited a moment to calm his breathing before stepping inside.

The single room took up almost the entire cabin and was brightly lit from the reflected sunlight as it steamed in through the two large picture windows. The view out over the lake was stunning but it didn't even register with Jack. He only had eyes for the king-size bed which dominated the room. A sheet lay half on the floor and he could see it was stained with blood, vomit and God knows what else. Restraints hung from the four bedposts and he could see a vibrator tossed on the floor alongside several strap-on dildos and other sex toys.

In a cold fury Jack searched the cabin thoroughly, but it was clear no one had been here recently. So where had they gone?

But something was missing here, clues... the lack of clues. If Liz had taken Chase elsewhere she would have left a sign but he had been over the cabin in detail and there were no clues. That surely meant Chase was still here... but where? Both Angie and Rosie had said he was in the dark and cold, yet Jack hadn't found any access to a cellar. And the snow was banked up high around the cabin so even if there was an external access, it was now blocked by snow.

Pulling out his flashlight, Jack got on hands and knees to begin the search over again, inch by painstaking inch across the floor. There must be a trapdoor he reasoned, there must be. He finally found it next to the kitchen counter, the opening cleverly concealed by the pattern of the linoleum which ran through the kitchen area.

After checking for booby traps he tucked the flashlight in his pocket, held his gun ready, and slowly began to pull up the door. He gagged as the stench hit him. A nauseating mixture of human waste, rotten flesh and the rank smell of fear. Dry heaves racked his body at the knowledge of what he would find down in the darkness and the trapdoor dropped closed with a clang as he leaned over, his hands on his knees for support, as he waited for the convulsions to end.

Calming, he took a deep breath and pulled the trapdoor open again. Turning on the flashlight he descended down the wooden steps into a space only slightly smaller than the cabin above. The flooring was raw concrete which had cracked and buckled from the cold. Jack shivered as the damp chill bit into his exposed flesh of face and hands.

"Chase?" he called softly, but there was no response, not that he expected any. The smell of death and decay was strong and he swung the light in a wild circle, looking for a sign of hope. A mound in the corner caught his eye and he approached only to turn away, repelled. The bodies of a dozen or more rats lay tangled, their tails thick and sinuous, the yellow teeth bared in death. That explained the odor of rotten flesh, he could see some of the carcasses were weeks old.

He continued the beam along the wall, the space empty until he came to a bucket overflowing with human waste. Passing quickly, he sped the light along, almost dropping the flashlight in shock when he found Chase sitting against the wall watching him, a hand over his eyes to shield them from the unaccustomed light. Jack pulled the light back and angled it to the floor, but he knew he'd never be able to forget that initial glimpse...

* * *

_want more? simply post a review :)_


	9. Chapter 9

Before he turned the light away Jack caught a fleeting glimpse of his eyes. Enormous and dark rimmed, they reminded Jack of Angie's haunted appearance. A thin blanket was draped over his shoulders but it was still evident that the once muscular frame was now reduced to bone and sinew. Jack took a step closer and went to put his hand out to Chase, then remembered he was still holding his gun and moved it back again. Chase saw the movement and tried to smile, although it came closer to a grimace, "So you've come to shoot me then Jack?"

"No," Jack said, kneeling next to Chase on the thin mattress. "I've come to take you home."

"I have no home," Chase replied in the same low monotone, his voice raspy from lack of use. "Everyone's dead. Kim... Angie... the baby... you're dead too."

"Listen Chase, I don't know what Liz told you, but Kim and Angie are alive. I saw them just two days ago, they-"

Chase turned towards him and Jack saw the tears in his eyes. "No, they're dead... I killed them. I don't know why, but I did... you're dead too."

Taking up Chase's trembling hand, Jack held it to his face, "Touch me Chase, I'm alive; and Kim is alive and Angie is alive too. They miss you and they want you home with them. Angie sent me, she said 'Grandpa Jack, please bring Daddy home'."

Chase looked at Jack doubtfully, "I hear Angie calling me. She says to come home, but they're dead so I don't know where to go."

"They're alive and waiting for you, I know where they are," Jack assured him. "I'll take you to them Chase, I'll take you home."

Chase began shaking all over and Jack wrapped him into his arms, then pulled him closer still when he felt the hot tears flowing. He ignored the sharp smell of his body, the feel of his fragile bones down his backbone, the iron shackles around his ankles, the impossibility of getting Chase through the heavy snow to safety. All he did was hold Chase close and offer him his love as he blinked away his own tears.

* * *

Kim added the chocolate kisses to the cookie dough and began stirring with the wooden spoon. For the first time in weeks Angie had slept through the night without a nightmare and she had even shown a good appetite at breakfast. She was now out in the garden playing with Danny; Kim could hear her laughter through the open door. She couldn't recall the last time she had seen Angie so happy... yes she could... when Chase was still with them.

Helen and the boys were stopping by after school this afternoon and Kim thought they might enjoy some chocolate chip cookies out in the garden. Angie came running in with Danny at her heels. "Mummy," she sang out, "I've cleaned up all the dead flowers on the lawn, so it's tidy for when Daddy gets home."

"That's a good idea honey," she smiled.

"Daddy will be home soon and I want to show him my work. Grandpa Jack is coming too, he's helping Daddy not be sad."

Kim carefully put the bowl down on the counter and knelt on the floor, taking Angela's hands in hers. "Angie honey, is Daddy with Grandpa Jack?"

"Yes," Angie laughed. She pulled back out of Kim's grasp to do a twirl around the kitchen. "I asked him to help Daddy and he is. I love Grandpa Jack, I'm going to make him a drawing," and she raced off to her bedroom.

Kim remained kneeling on the floor as she sobbed for her lost love. Danny whined and nudged at Kim who threw her arms around his neck as her tears flowed. If Chase was with her dad, it meant only one thing. Chase was dead now too.

* * *

_want more? post a review :)_


	10. Chapter 10

The shackle opened with a faint click. His Swiss Army knife didn't have quite the right attachment for this task but with a bit of diligence it worked. Glancing at Chase's face, Jack gave a triumphant smile and set to work on the second shackle. Jack wondered what was going through Chase's mind. It was hard enough to read him at the best of times and now he was half obscured by the Raybans which Jack had passed over to protect his eyes from the light of the flashlight.

Earlier Jack had returned outside and retrieved his pack from the back porch. To his dismay the lightly falling snow had thickened into a blizzard and he knew they wouldn't be leaving here today. While outside, he glanced into the lean-to shed which he hadn't investigated earlier. Stacked high with split wood, there was also a tarpaulin covering something large. Pulling back the cover, he laughed aloud to see a powerful looking snowmobile, the keys sitting in the ignition. He wondered again if remnants of the militia were still helping Liz. How else could she have managed to get Chase to such an isolated location?

Leaving the lean to, Jack passed the chopping block beside the stacked wood, the axe wedged in the top. He grabbed up the axe and placed it next to his pack before stepping over to the nearest trees to take a leak. A sudden sense of being watched came over him and he quickly finished, the thought of Liz perhaps watching him making him break out in a nervous sweat.

Turning towards the cabin he crossed the tracks he'd made earlier when he first circled the cabin, but now his tracks looked different. Stooping and brushing away the newly fallen snow from the old tracks, he was astounded to see wolf tracks. Larger than dog or coyote prints, the animal tracks had followed his snowshoe trail exactly. Was this who had been watching him earlier on the trail? He had never heard of wolves inhabiting this region and it added further to his sense of unease.

Taking the axe, the pack and the snowshoes into the cabin, Jack quickly barred the door behind him. His heart was hammering far too fast and he knew his nerves were frayed. This constant tension was tiring and he took some deep breaths, trying to regain control and a modicum of calm.

Placing the axe by the door, Jack opened his backpack and pulled out warm clothing and some energy bars for Chase, along with an extra flashlight. Clattering down the steps into the cellar, he passed over the food and clothes and set to work on the shackles. Chase set the clothes and bars aside with a "thank you" and continued to silently hold the light over the shackle. Jack could see Chase's anxiety level increasing, his leg began to tap an urgent beat and Jack wondered why he was getting so agitated. He also wondered what he had been eating down here. A bucket half filled with water sat near Chase, but there was no sign of food. From what Jack could tell, Chase had been abandoned for over two weeks, so what had he survived on?

Stopping work on the second shackle, Jack asked, "When did you eat last Chase?"

"Jack please, you need to hurry."

"Look at yourself Chase, you're so skinny you could just about slip the irons off. I know Liz hasn't been here in the last two weeks, so what have you been eating?"

Chase wasn't listening, pushing the flashlight towards Jack he cried, "Go, please go, it's coming."

Jack crouched, swinging the light around the cellar with his gun ready, but he couldn't see anything. His heart beating far too fast, he looked at his gun, wavering in his trembling hand. Chase was clearly terrified and looking at him now, Jack saw he had curled into a ball, his arms wrapped around his head. "Chase, talk to me, what's wrong?," he whispered.

With a distant rumble, a generator started up and then it happened. A young girl, sounding so much like Angie it made Jack's hair rise up, was laughing, chanting 'Daddy, Daddy, Daddy' and Jack swung the light looking for her, but the room was empty. Another voice, low and musical whispered 'Chase' over and over and Jack knew it was the voice of Kim, yet a Kim he'd never heard before. This voice was throaty, enticing, perhaps the voice she used with Chase when they were together in bed.

A flash of light and the wall became bright with changing images of Kim and Angie. Walking hand in hand, going to school, shopping, at the playground... all the while the voices continued their chants 'Daddy' and 'Chase' before an ear splitting scream rent the air. "Daddy NO!' the young voice cried, followed by a loud thwack and then another.

Jack winced at the sound, all he could think of was the axe cutting through Chase's wrist in the science lab. The screaming continued "... Daddy, don't hurt me... Daddy I love you...Daddy help me." The young voice grew weaker and then silent as Kim's screams took over, her pain and terror sounding all too real as the whacks continued... until silence fell and the images faded to black.

His strength deserting him, Jack slumped to his knees beside Chase and he put out his hand to touch him, either to offer or take comfort, but Chase pulled away. "I did it," he moaned softly, "I did it."

The manipulation was too much for Jack. Picking up the flashlight, he yelled out, "You sonofabitch Liz Ashley, I'm getting us out of here and then I'm going to hunt you down and kill you."

Twisting the pocket knife into the shackle with force, it snapped open and without ceremony Jack pulled Chase to his feet and half dragged him over to the wooden steps. "Come on Chase, we're getting the hell out of here and going home."

Jack bounded ahead up the steps, calling back over his shoulder, "We'll need to stay here tonight, there's a blizzard raging outside."

Collecting up the torture implements and sex toys, Jack bundled them into the stained sheet wondering where to stash them. Opening the window he dropped everything into the snow and stood for a moment breathing in the crisp air. He couldn't wait to be out of this place, away from this cabin with it's atmosphere of coiled menace.

The bathroom door closed behind him and Jack turned, startled, but the shower started running and he relaxed as he reached to close the window. Looking around he searched the cabin for anything else that needed to be removed and he paused for a moment when he saw the axe. He couldn't predict what Chase might do next but best not to take any chances. Anyhow he reasoned as he dropped the axe out the window, at least he'd know where it was if he needed it.

Slamming the window closed he picked up the flashlight and returned down the steps into the cellar. Kicking through the pile of rats he looked for a clue as to what Chase had lived on for the past few weeks, but all the rats were whole, none had been nibbled on. Taking a last look around, he climbed the steps and closed the door firmly, hoping it was the last time he'd see that hell hole.

Going to the generator room he rummaged through wires until he found a set leading down into the cellar. Pulling them out, Jack hoped that with luck the audio/visual nightmare was now over.

Yanking the mattress off the bed, he dragged it out the back door and flipped it over the porch rail into the snow covered bushes. After a brief struggle the bed frame was disassembled into four sections which soon followed the mattress out the door and into the snow. Rearranging the furniture took but a moment, as did lighting the fire in the huge stone hearth. Checking through the cupboards, Jack found blankets and quilts, another held a good range of winter clothing, while the kitchen was well stocked with canned soups, dried pastas and jars of sauce.

The shower had turned off awhile ago but Chase still hadn't emerged and Jack had finally run out of chores to occupy his time. Pulling on his jacket he ventured outside to gather several loads of wood which he stacked up beside the already ample supply next to the fireplace. Finally, unable to contain his worry about what Chase might be doing for so long in the bathroom, Jack removed his jacket and boots then padded over to the bathroom in his socks to knock on the door. Ignoring the muffled, "I won't be long," Jack pushed the door open and stopped in shock. "Jesus Chase!"

Chase sat on the side of the bath wearing only thermal pants, his bare torso a pale gleam in the low light. Jack could see each jutting bone and his skin was multi-coloured from numerous bites... human bites. Some were a faded brown, others an angry infected red, while many oozed a yellow pus. Chase held a tube of antibiotic cream in his hands and Jack saw these too were bitten and inflamed but the bites were smaller, the bites of rats.

"Please... go away, Jack," his head turned away in shame.

"I'm not going anywhere Chase. I'm here to listen to whatever you want to tell me, I'm here to help"." Chase remained silent so Jack dropped to the floor and stretched out his legs as he leaned back against the wall. Crossing his ankles, Jack said, "It's okay Chase...you'll feel better if you talk about it."

Chase began screwing the top back on the cream but his fingers were clumsy, still swollen from the bites, "I can't," he said quietly, "I can't talk about it."

Jack waited a few moments and then began, "This is what I think happened... you leave for work one morning and wake up here, strapped to the bed. Liz is leaning over you and you're scared, remembering what she did last time. But she's nice, understanding. She talks about Kim's breakdown and all the troubles she's gone through since the news of my death. She talks about CTU and their lack of information. She cries over the loss of the baby and how upsetting that was and then she tells you that I'm not dead, that I'm living it up somewhere while you're left suffering the costs of that one lie... She's warm and sympathetic and she makes you do things you don't want to do... your body responds even as your mind screams no."

"You can't know this," Chase moaned, shaking his head.

"But I do know it Chase... because that's what she did to me the last time. Even when I was revolted by her touch she knew how to get my body to respond... but after a time no amount of stimulation achieves what she craves. She pulls out her toys and continues to take her pleasure, but this time it's fueled by your pain. Until every time she comes close you throw up... She gets angry, you're spoiling her fun so she withholds food figuring you can't vomit on an empty stomach, but it doesn't work, the bile still comes. Angry, she walks away to leave you to starve to death, but first she leaves you a dozen rats and a sound and light show... how often did it play Chase, twice a day?"

"Every two hours."

"Jesus Chase, I'm sorry. She only did this to get at me... she knew I'd come to find you."

Chase looked over at Jack, his first eye contact since leaving the cellar and Jack could feel the intensity of his gaze, "She said you'd try to kill me, that you wouldn't trust me."

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Jack held out his hand, "Here, I'll put some cream on these bites on your back, they can easily turn septic." Taking the cream, he said, "That's one more thing Liz doesn't understand, the trust we have in each other."

"Sometimes it seems so real... that I've hurt them." Turning to look at Jack he asked, "They're really all right? You saw them?"

"Yes," Jack smiled, "They're at home waiting for you."

"But how do you know that I won't go home and still hurt them? I've already done so many things against my will, what if I hurt my family?"

"The doctors can help you," Jack said soothingly. "Max says they have some tests to see how much Liz has influenced you. It will work out Chase, you need to believe that."

Standing up, he said, "Come on, lets get something to eat, you must be hungry." Washing his hands quickly, Jack went into the kitchen area and looked over the supplies in the larder, finally selecting a can of chicken and corn soup, along with fusilli pasta and a jar of alfredo sauce. .

Chase finished dressing and when he entered the main room he made no mention of the rearranged furniture as he silently tended the fire and arranged bedding while Jack heated the soup and pasta sauce while keeping an eye on the boiling pasta. Watching him, Jack saw Chase was becoming agitated again and he realised it was almost two hours since the last audio/video show.

Going to his pack he pulled out the photo of Chase, Kim and Angie which he'd shown to Rosie. Looking at it now, he wondered if any of them would ever be this happy again. Sighing, he went to Chase who was stabbing angrily at the fire with the poker. Keeping his eye on the poker, Jack squatted beside him. Placing his hand on Chase's knee which was beating a nervous tattoo, he passed over the photo.

"They're alive Chase. They're alive and waiting for you to come home to them." Chase looked at the photo and back at Jack, tears shining in his eyes. Jack smiled reassuringly and went back to his pasta, wondering if he was doing it right. Max had emailed some suggestions to Tony, but he stressed the most important thing was pick a simple message and repeat it constantly.

Dinner was a subdued affair. Jack was pleased to see Chase had calmed, his panic attack now over, but he barely touched the food. Stirring his spoon through his soup, Chase asked, "What day is it today?"

It's Saturday... the 16th. You were held for 29 days Chase."

"I lost count after the first two weeks. I had no idea how much time had passed... I just know I wouldn't have lasted much longer down there. Thank you Jack, thanks for getting me out of there.

"I came as soon as I realised there was a problem. I'm sorry Chase, once again you were pulled into Liz's orbit because of me."

Shrugging slightly, Chase resumed stirring his soup before excusing himself from the table. He washed the pots stacked in the kitchen, used the bathroom then crawled under the quilt on one of the couches with a quiet "Goodnight Jack."

Jack found he had little appetite himself, but he ate anyway, the carbs would be needed tomorrow. Wanting a shower, he glanced at his backpack. He had an extra gun and ammo with him and despite his earlier words, he didn't trust Chase, not at all. Liz was a brilliant tactician and she wouldn't have wasted this opportunity. Taking his pack with him into the bathroom while he showered, he emerged later to find Chase sleeping soundly, the photo next to him on the side table. Jack glanced towards the windows, the snow had stopped and he looked forward to leaving in the morning.

* * *

The moonlight cascaded down, spinning the snow clad hills and the silent lake in a gossamer of purest white. A faint flutter of a heartbeat caused tiny icicles to rise ever upward in a fragile dance and as each crystal exploded, an iridescent pulse tumbled downward to shimmer over the lake, the trees and the cabin. If Jack had taken that moment to gaze out over the lake he would have been struck by the sheer beauty of nature.

Soon to be replaced by sheer terror at the realisation that the axe was no longer there...


	11. Chapter 11

**_Thanks as always to ms24 for your lovely reviews :)_**

* * *

His heart beating wildly, Jack lurched up from his sleep. The quilt fell away as he swung his legs around and rubbed at his gritty eyes with the heels of his hands, trying to erase the images.

_Chase smiling as the rat lashed at his wrist with it's thick tail, the high pitched squealing coming to an abrupt halt when Chase bit off its head and began to chew, the blood running down his chin to drip onto his bare chest. Liz leaned forward to lap at the flowing blood, the silk robe slipping off her shoulders, showing the festering bites which covered her body._

_Standing on tip toe, Liz sucked hungrily at the blood at Chase's mouth and then they kissed, the blood smearing across their chins. Turning, they both looked at Jack and grinned, their teeth and gums appearing black from the blood. Liz wore a dildo strapped at her hips and she began stroking it while rocking her hips, then she ordered Chase to get on all fours. Kneeling behind him, Liz began running her hand down Chase's back. He flinched at her touch then turned his head to look at Jack, his eyes changing colour from sky blue to wolf yellow, before they squeezed tight and his tears began to fall._

With a shaking hand Jack scrubbed at his face again and he looked across at the other couch but Chase was gone, his quilt neatly folded.

Peering over at the kitchen, Jack couldn't see much in the dim light but he could smell coffee and hot oatmeal. Would you make a person breakfast just before attacking them? He wondered again if it wouldn't be best to just knock Chase out and put him back in the cellar while he went to get back-up... but then Liz was still out there somewhere. Jack had slipped a sleeping pill into Chase's soup last night but as he hadn't eaten more than three spoonfuls, the medication wouldn't have been potent enough to be effective.

But now Jack was worried that perhaps Chase had somehow drugged him. Always a light sleeper, Jack would normally have woken at the first stirring from Chase. Yet Chase had managed to brew coffee and cook oatmeal while Jack's nightmare raged. Christ his nerves were shot. Looking at his hands, Jack couldn't stop the trembling and he had noticed the same trembling in Chase's hands.

And why hadn't Chase mentioned anything about Jack suddenly being alive? Was it part of Liz's programming, an attempt to keep Jack focused on the sad, traumatised Chase and away from an angry, vindictive Chase? Well he had to admit it was working, he couldn't help but feel protective when he saw how hurt and confused Chase was. Damnit, he hoped he wouldn't have to go up against Chase, he didn't want to have to hurt him.

Yawning, he glanced out over the lake. It was still dark outside with just a glimmer of light to the east. He was impressed that Chase could work so well in the dark, but he had had several weeks of conditioning in the dark of the cellar.

Checking under his pillow and in his pack, Jack found his guns still in order. Picking up his pack he took it into the bathroom with him. It was steamed up, Chase must have showered already. After his own experience with Liz he had found himself taking two or three showers daily, attempting to remove her taint.

Washed and dressed quickly, Jack stowed his gun in his jacket pocket before opening the unbarred door and stepping out onto the porch. Wrapped in a down jacket, Chase was sitting on the top step, leaning back onto the rail. He looked up and Jack saw he had shaved, his hollowed cheeks now more pronounced.

"Chase, I'm getting some coffee, you want some... or oatmeal?"

"No thanks," he shook his head and Jack watched as he slipped the photo back into his pocket.

Getting the coffee, he also grabbed a bowl of oatmeal. There was no milk but he sprinkled some brown sugar on top then added a swirl of maple syrup for good measure. Taking his bowl and mug back outside, he paused at the doorway, "Do you mind if I join you?"

"No," and Chase moved over slightly to make room. "I took a look at the Polaris and fueled it up. The only problem I see is the snow getting too soft in this warmer weather."

Nodding, Jack said, "Hopefully we'll be out before the thaw's too advanced." But he could hear the rapid drip drip as the snow all around them melted. Even with the skids on, the weight of the machine with two men was considerable and the soft snow was a drawback.

"Thanks for making this Chase," Jack said finishing the bowl. "I'll just get my pack and we can leave if you're ready. I'm sure you must be anxious to get home."

Looking at the snow at his feet, Chase said "No, I don't want to go home, not at first. Last night I dreamt that I hurt them, just like in the recording. I... perhaps it will be easier if I go straight to the clinic... to have those tests you mentioned." Glancing up at Jack he added, "I'm scared Jack... I don't want to hurt them."

"That's a good idea Chase. Just to make sure... Listen, is there any ESP in your family? You said you could hear Angie's voice and I think I did too, before coming here."

"My Great Grandmother was said to be able to foresee the future, she was a medicine woman in her village." Seeing Jack's nonplussed look, he said, "She was a Northern Cheyenne, living in Canada... I can sometimes sense Angie, but only when she's stressed." Realisation washed over him and he stood suddenly, "Fuck Jack, please tell me Angie doesn't know any of this!"

He didn't have time to form an answer before Chase turned abruptly and went down the steps into the lean-to, but Jack could see the look of devastation in his eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

Going inside, Jack dumped his dishes in the sink and looked at the dirty oatmeal pot and the half-filled coffee maker but damned if he was going to do the dishes for Liz. Picking up his pack, he attached the snow shoes then took a last look around before pulling the door closed behind him. Taking the bungee cords from off his pack, he snapped the pack to the front of the Polaris. It made the snowmobile a little top heavy but the pack held essential survival gear in case they needed to spend a night outdoors in the snow.

Chase already had the motor running but he stood aside to allow Jack to take the controls, even though he was the more experienced of the two in snow conditions. Jack was grateful that Chase realised he didn't have the strength to manage the powerful machine. A pair of goggles hung on the handlebars and Jack offered them to Chase, but he shook his head no, he preferred to keep the Raybans as the lenses were darker for the bright snow.

The initial going was rough. Jack had only operated a snow mobile a couple of times and that was always solo. It was more difficult with the extra weight of Chase and the pack, but after two dumps into the snow, they both became better at coordinating movements and Jack was able to pick up some speed.

Skimming over the snow was exhilarating as he retraced the route he'd taken in. Occasionally they would hit a patch of slush but so far they had managed to keep enough momentum to reach firmer snow. In no time they had skirted Flora Lake and were headed to Azalea Lake when the snow gave way beneath them and they found themselves in a hole two feet deep.

Chase scrambled up to the front. "It's a spruce trap," he offered as he removed the pack and placed it against a spruce tree further up the hill.

"What the hell's that? asked Jack as the two of them worked at getting the machine out of the hole. Chase was panting hard, unable to speak for the moment, and Jack was reminded again of how weakened he had become. But eventually they were able to get the Polaris up and out.

Chase sat exhausted in the snow. "A spruce trap is when a tree falls over and the branches form a bridge so when the snow builds up it looks like solid terrain because you can't see the air pockets underneath. If you step on one you fall in, sometimes to your waist, sometimes over your head. Snowshoes can also get stuck in them, you need to take the snowshoe off to get yourself out."

Jack fetched the pack and got out some energy bars and water. Accepting both, Jack noticed Chase drank some water but slipped the bar into his pocket. Apart from the few spoonfuls of soup, Jack hadn't seen him eat any food since his arrival and he had had nothing for two or three weeks before then. He couldn't recall the medical treatment for starvation but he wished he'd eat something.

Hoping to find a neutral subject, he said, "I saw wolf tracks outside the cabin yesterday, it looked as if it was following my trail."

Although Chase didn't say anything, Jack could tell he had his full attention. "We'll need to be careful, it must be hungry with all this snow cover."

"They won't harm us," Chase stated flatly.

"They? No, I only saw the tracks of one."

"His mate, the female, will be pregnant; she'll be nearby, but hidden. Anyhow, no human has ever been attacked by a healthy wolf."

"You mean no one ever survived to talk about it," Jack joked.

"It's considered good luck to see a wolf while on a journey. The Native Americans' regard them as pathfinders."

"Your Great Grandmother's wisdom?" Jack asked kindly.

"Perhaps my Great Grandfather's," Chase said. "His name was Wolf."

"Oh," said Jack at a loss for words. "Are you ready to continue? We'd better keep going before the snow gets any softer."

Continuing on, the way was clear and fast but Jack could feel his unease increasing. He wondered if it was the proximity to Lake Azalea, or talk of the wolves.

Without warning, he found himself falling, tree branches pulling and grabbing, the snow falling with him and getting down his collar. Eventually, after what seemed minutes, he found himself lying prone across the front of the snowmobile. Looking up through the branches, he could see he had fallen into a hole about 12 feet deep.

"Chase?" he called, and he was relieved to see him looking down, concerned.

"Are you okay?" Chase asked.

"Yeah, nothing broken."

"Are you on stable ground, or is it going to move again?"

"It seems firm," Jack responded, bouncing up and down on the tree branch to test it, causing Chase to wince.

"Jack, we can't get the Polaris out so pass me up the pack, then I'll get you out."

For a fraction of a second, Jack paused, undecided. Could he trust Chase? Should he trust him? He'd been alone with Liz for almost a month and he had stated himself he needed professional help. But no, Chase was like a son and he knew his love for Chase was returned... or it had been.

"Jack!" Chase called down, "Come on."

Working quickly before he could change his mind, Jack unsnapped the cords and held the pack as high as he could manage, ensuring there would be less lifting for Chase to do. Even so, it was an effort for Chase to pull the pack out, and then he disappeared. Jack waited impatiently, trying not to let his paranoia dominate. Thinking of his second gun and ammo being with Chase, he took his gun from his pocket and clicked off the safety. I'll count to 100 he thought, but even after counting to 200 Chase hadn't reappeared.

"Chase?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry but my fingers aren't working well and I couldn't get the straps on your pack open."

Throwing down the thin cord, Chase said, "Here, I don't have the strength to pull you out, but this is attached to a tree so you can climb yourself out."

"Thanks," Jack wound the cord around his leg and began climbing. Reaching the lip of the spruce trap, Chase reached in an arm and helped him up.

"Thank you Chase." Looking back into the trap, he knew he couldn't have made it out of there without help and he turned smiling his pleasure, but Chase was back in  
his anxious mood.

"Jack, we're going in the wrong direction. We need to go west," and taking Jack's arm, Chase led him to the bluff overlooking Lake Azalea. "See, we need to go down over to that clearing by the lake."

"Why? I don't see anything there." Was this a trick laid out by Liz? He looked at Chase who was becoming more agitated by the second.

"Jack, I'm sure about this, please."

Shaking his head, Jack began to turn away, "I'm sorry Chase but we'll keep to the trail I came in on. We can't be following one of your feelings." Jack went to pick up the cord but Chase's voice stopped him dead, the hairs on the back of his neck and up his forearms rising in alarm.

"Jack!" Chase's voice was low and full of menace. Swivelling, Jack saw the hatred in his eyes, his hand rising to fire, and his instincts kicked in. Jack raised his gun and fired.

* * *

Her scream rent the air and tore at Kim's heart. Dropping the load of washing she ran into Angie's bedroom to find her staring into space, her arms wrapped tight around the doll she had been playing with. Falling to her knees beside her, Kim took her into her arms.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

Getting no response, she turned Angie's head towards her and looked into her eyes, "Is it Daddy? ... Angie, has something happened to Daddy?"

Angie began sobbing loudly and she buried her head in Kim's embrace. "Shhh," Kim soothed quietly as she rocked the weeping child. "Shhh, it's okay honey," but she found herself trembling and she closed her eyes tight as she silently whispered over and over, please let him be okay, please let him come home to us, please.

Angie's sobbing quieted and she turned and snuggled into Kim's arms. Kissing the top of her head, Kim continued the rocking as she began to hum a favourite lullaby, trying to calm her own shattered nerves as well as Angies.

"Mummy, if you love someone and they do something bad, do you still love them?"

"Yes, yes you do," she declared with more confidence than she felt. Dear God, what could he have done? "Angie, did Daddy do something bad?"

Angie shook her head as the tears started again, "No, it's Grandpa Jack... he shot Daddy."


	13. Chapter 13

Jack watched in horror as his two bullets slammed into Chase, the blood exploding across his face as a puff of feathers burst outward from his jacket. The look of hatred on Chase's face quickly turned to shock and then sorrow as the force of the bullets sent him falling backwards and then off the high bluff overlooking the black lake.

The weapon in Chase's hand spun from the impact and flew in an arc high up into the air before coming down again, straight towards Jack. Without thinking Jack put out his left hand to catch it and then he looked down, stupefied, at the Raybans sitting in his hand. Oh dear God, it wasn't a gun, Chase had been pointing, not shooting.

"Fucking marvellous," the mocking tones came from behind. "My God Jack, you really are the best."

Liz! Christ, Chase had been trying to warn him, not shoot him, and he groaned aloud with grief at what he'd done.

"Put your gun down Jack and turn around, I want to congratulate you."

Fuck this, Jack thought and he dove for the edge of the bluff, perhaps there was still something he could do to help Chase. But Liz had anticipated him and he felt a sting at his thigh. Putting his hand there, he went to pull out the tranqualiser dart, but found he couldn't move.

Liz grabbed Jack's foot and pulled him away from the bluff's edge. Kneeling beside him she smiled sweetly, "It's a bitch isn't it Jack? You can see, you can hear, you can feel, but you can't move, can't talk. I could perform open heart surgery on you right now and you'd feel every precious detail... oh, but wait, I can't do that, you don't have a heart do you. Let's see now, you've just shot your son-in-law dead when all he was doing was trying to warn you.

"You know what I'd love Jack? I'd love to listen to you as you explain all this to your precious Kim. You know she lost her baby because you were too selfish to tell her you were alive while she was subjected to all those months of media scrutiny, and now she's lost her husband because you lost your nerve.

"Perhaps I ought to invite her over for a daddy, daughter reunion. Yes, I might just do that... won't it be fun Jack?" And she lent in and kissed him, her tongue twinning with his, and there wasn't a thing he could do to stop her.

* * *

He lay in the white field of snow and felt the red stain as it spread out, wrapping him in it's warmth. He knew it was dangerous to lie injured in the snow but that couldn't be right because he now felt warmer and calmer than he had in weeks. He thought he could hear voices but that couldn't be right either. Angie was crying and so was Kim but they were both dead, killed by his own hand. He tried to look at his hand but his arm wouldn't move, so he lay still and closed his eyes against the glaring light reflected off the snow. Liz's laughter swirled around him. She was dead too, had died years ago, but she still scared him. Jack was also dead yet Jack had shot him. Was it because he'd hurt Kim and Angie?

He attempted to get up out of the snow. He wanted to find Kim and Angie but his body wouldn't respond. Pushing up with his one good arm he hoped to draw his legs up under him to stand but the hot blinding pain made him cry out in agony. He lay back, panting, trying to calm his breathing. He could still hear Angie crying and he wanted desperately to speak with her, but he needed to be calm or she would know he was scared. Lying still, his eyes closed, he concentrated on his memories of happy days with Kim and Angie.

"Daddy?" Angie sobbed.

"Shhh honey, it's okay. Please don't cry. I'll be with you shortly, I won't be long."

"No Daddy, you need to come home now. I don't like this place, it's bad."

"I know Angie but I'm tired and I can't move yet. I'll be there soon."

"Here Daddy, I'll help you. Take my hand and I'll help you come home. Please Daddy, hold my hand."

And as his hand warmed, he felt new strength course through his body. Rising unsteadily to his feet, Chase began to cross the frozen lake, headed towards the small clearing on the far side.


	14. Chapter 14

Tony sat looking at the weather report for the Tahoe area, wondering if an early thaw was good news or bad, when the doorbell startled him. Putting down his cup of coffee he went to open the door and stood in shock at seeing Kim standing there.

"Kim, hello," he tried to smile. "What a nice surprise, please come in."

Brushing past him, she turned suddenly and lashed out, punching him on the cheek. It was a surprisingly hard blow and Tony staggered back, stunned.

"What-"

"He's alive isn't he?" Kim hissed, her eyes narrowed in fury and Tony was uncomfortably reminded of Jack in a temper.

"Kim-"

"Jack is alive. You've known all this time and you didn't tell me... how could you?" she wailed.

"Kim, it was for the best-"

Kim stepped forward and Tony took a quick step backwards, thinking he was about to be punched again. "You sanctimonious bastard," Kim glared, "You stood there at the funeral and said 'I'll always be here for you' you came to me in the hospital after I lost my baby and said 'I wish there was something I could do'. For the past eight months all you've done is lie to me, all lies!... But now I want the truth Tony... all of it."

"I'm sorry Kim, really... and so's Jack. He's gone to find Chase, he's trying to help."

"Help?" she snorted. "Jack shot Chase and I need to know where they are so I can get my husband home."

"Shot? How the hell can you know that!"

"Angie told me and her I believe, now talk."

So Tony told Kim everything. After listening silently, Kim strode through the house to Tony's desk, picked up the phone and dialled 411.

"Kim listen, you can't tell anyone, it's too dangerous. Government forces could target your dad again, he could get killed."

"I'm sorry Tony, didn't you hear? My dad died eight months ago and now he lives only in my memory. It's the living I'm concerned with here and my Chase needs help - Information? Yes, I'd like a number in Washington DC please... Secretary of Defense Heller."

* * *

"... so an elderly medium and a six year old child helped you to locate your husband who's been held by a woman believed dead for over four years. And Jack, who's been officially dead for eight months, went to rescue him but instead he shot him. Do I have that right, Mrs Edmunds?"

With a sinking heart, Kim said, "Mr Secretary, Angie's just five, but yes, the rest is accurate."

"Please call me Jim. Your father spoke of you often Kim, he was very proud of you and your family... one moment, I'll need to put you on hold."

Kim sat on her hands to stop their shaking. She kept her eyes focused on her knees, too embarrassed to look up at Tony who surely must be gloating. She felt such a fool for the way she had behaved, of course no one could possibly believe such an improbable tale.

"Kim-" began Tony, but he was interrupted by Heller on the speaker phone.

"My apologies for keeping you on hold Kim, Tony... I had an aunt who had the gift of second sight. She was never sure whether it was a curse or a blessing, but she taught me there are more connections in this world than we suppose... There's a detachment of Rangers currently on standby in San Fransisco who are itching for a bit of action. I think they'll welcome a winter training exercise in the Sierra's. I'll need all your information, including photos of Jack, Chase and this woman Liz. Kim, we have a helicopter flying LA to Tahoe in two hours time, could you be ready by then?"

"Thank you, yes, oh thank you, Jim." Kim gushed, not sure whether she was laughing or crying.

Tony placed a hand on her shoulder and kept it there as he leaned toward the phone, "Mr Secretary, I should warn you that Liz Ashley is a very dangerous woman. She's ruthless, cruel and an excellent strategist. She's killed three CTU agents, her sister and probably others as well. I strongly recommend she be treated with maximum prejudice."

"Thank you Tony, I shall be sure to pass on your recommendation. Kim, Tony, I shall be following events closely, but if there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to call."

"Thank you Sir," Kim and Tony replied together.

Stabbing the speaker phone off, Tony moved around his desk and sat beside Kim, "Listen Kim, I know you're angry with me and I respect that, but I hope we can move past it and work together to ensure the safe return of Chase and your... and Jack."

Kim nodded mutely, her tears spilling over, and Tony took her into his arms, "It's okay Kim, the Rangers are the world's best and you know Chase and Jack, they're both tough, they can get through this." Kim continued her weeping unabated and Tony took her hand and looked into her eyes. "Kim, there's something I need to know... where the hell did you learn to punch like that?"

Kim's tears slowed and Tony passed her a box of tissues. Taking one, she wiped her eyes and smiled proudly, "Chase taught me."

"Well, it damn well hurts," he smiled back. "Come on, you don't want to be late for your flight. What about Angie, will you take her?"

"No, I'll wait until we know more details. Maria her babysitter will stay with her, she's done it before."

"Okay good... and Kim, good luck."

"Thank you Tony," Kim whispered as she kissed him on his uninjured cheek. "I'll call you."

* * *

Chase continued across the black ice, slipping on the clear patches and struggling through the snow drifts. His falls were becoming more frequent and it was getting harder each time to pick himself up. His every movement punctuated with grunts of pain, he knew he wouldn't make it across. The clearing on the far shore seemed no closer than when he had started. Bathed in sweat, he had unzipped his jacket earlier and now each time he fell a stain of red was left on the flattened snow.

Slipping again, he crashed to the black surface, his wounded shoulder striking the unyielding ice first. With a cry of despair he tried to rise, but his body refused to obey and he sank into the cold surface, his tears of frustration freezing along with his now cold sweat.


	15. Chapter 15

**_note to my readers_ **

_ms24 has been a constant and faithful reader and reviewer. However ms24 is away for the next few weeks, so if you wish to continue with daily updates, better get reviewing._

_no reviews means no updates. _

* * *

Kim finished going over the details with Maria then joined Angela at the kitchen table. Her head was bent over a drawing and her frown of concentration so reminded Kim of Chase that she had to turn away and blink several times before sitting down to talk with her.

"Sweetie, I'm going to be away for a few days, I'm going to be where they're looking for Daddy, okay?"

Glancing across at Kim, Angela's gaze was solemn, "Mummy, when you find Daddy can you give him my drawing please? It's almost finished."

"I'd be happy to," smiled Kim looking at the picture of the two big dogs. "Can you tell me about the drawing so I can talk about it with Daddy?"

"These are the two wolves that are helping find Daddy in the snow," she explained while she coloured in another tree on the surrounding mountains.

"It's lovely," Kim said as she kissed Angie. What a great imagination she has, she marvelled. "Angie, do you know where Grandpa Jack is?"

Angie looked up with her stubborn look, "He hurt Daddy," she announced firmly as she returned to her drawing, the subject closed.

Packed and ready to go, Kim hugged a tearful Angie who handed over her drawing. Maria had rolled the drawing up inside the cardboard centre of a paper towel roll to keep it uncreased and Kim carefully placed it in her bag. Waving goodbye from the rear of the military car, Kim wondered how long it would be before she saw Angie smile again.

* * *

Chase felt the hot breath of the sled dogs panting over him but couldn't summon the strength to turn aside. He heard the distant sound of voices and felt himself being touched, but when they went to lift him up they found he was frozen to the ice. He lost consciousness when they began to pry him off the ice with their ice-axes, and he didn't feel a thing when they slung him up beside their film equipment on the dog sled, pulling a tarp over him roughly.

Blake and Charlie whistled up the dog team and the sled flew across the ice at tremendous speed. They weren't hurrying for the sake of their unexpected find, he seemed dead anyway, but rather for the pure thrill of speed, of action, of progress.

They had travelled down from Canada to film a CBC documentary on a pair of wolves seen in the area and although here for eight days now, they were still to see a wolf. They knew they were here as they had heard their howls and yips in the night. They had filmed some magnificent scenery shots but still no wolves. They hadn't even found tracks of the wolves, until today.

Charlie and Blake hoped their luck had finally changed when they spied the two sets of fresh wolf tracks marked clear and straight across the frozen lake. The tracks were bloody in places and they hoped the dark shadow ahead was a fresh kill. But the wolf tracks lead them instead to a body, before the tracks seemed to simply disappear.

The dogs sensed the excitement in the air and as they were headed back to camp, they ran with added enthusiasm. The husky's joyous barking brought Red out of the main tent to watch their arrival. They had retained his services to act as guide and general help in Truckee. The brothers couldn't agree on how old he might be, their guesses fluctuated daily, but the general range was between 50 and 70. Laconic and knowledgeable, they found him to be a perfect fit to their partnership. The only alteration he had made to the camp routine, after Charlie's turn at breakfast produced burnt French toast, was offering to be sole cook and this the two brothers had accepted gladly.

"Hey Red," Charlie called out, "We found a body out on the ice."

Red felt at the man's neck for a moment, his fingers unable to find a pulse on the cold, stiff form. "Let's bring him inside the tent. And be very gentle, he might not be dead."

"But he's frozen!" exclaimed Blake, "And he's not shivering, he can't still be alive."

"It could be severe hypothermia in which case he could stay like this for some time. Here, put him down gently, his heart could give out if he's treated roughly."

Placing him on a cot, Red used his hunting knife to begin cutting away the man's frozen and bloody clothing. "Charlie, bring the extra sleeping bag, two blankets and that plastic tarp off the sled. Blake, turn up the heat in here and get out the chemical heat packs from the medicine chest. Snap them to activate them and put each one inside a sock. I need, um... seven should do, and extra socks too. We need to strip him off and get him warmed up."

"Hey, wait a minute, I'm not going to do what they do in the movies... you know, lie with him to warm him up, no way man."

Red laughed, "Haven't you noticed it's always the two sexy leads who have to strip off to do that? No, all that will do is seriously chill you. We cocoon him and let his own internal heat bring him back... with a little help. Sonofabitch!" he swore vehemently as he saw Chase's bare legs, the human bites appearing brutal on the pale skin.

"Wow, a sex perv!" exclaimed Charlie, impressed.

Pulling off the man's socks, Red shook his head, "Probably not, look, he's been restrained."

"A sex slave!" Charlie joked, but he stopped laughing when he saw the look on Red's face.

Red continued cutting the clothing away, shocked at the state of the severely emaciated body. The human bite marks, the hands covered in smaller bites, he guessed rats, the restraint marks at wrist and ankle, the two fresh bullet wounds to the shoulder, an old bullet wound to the left hand and a curious thick scar around his left wrist. The body was also marked by many fine lines, as if he had had many skin grafts, his chest marked with deeper scars, perhaps burns, but placed in what appeared to be a deliberate pattern; a sure sign of torture.

Inspecting the bullet wounds, Red saw one shot had passed through the shoulder and seemed to have done little damage apart from heavy bleeding, the other bullet was still inside, lodged under his collar bone. Red knew from personal experience that every movement would be agony until the bullet was removed, and opening his extensive medical chest, he prepared a shot of morphine. Packing the bullet wounds with gauze, they placed the man on an opened sleeping bag with socks covering his hands and feet.

Zipping up the bag, Red pulled the hood over the man's head then fastened it so only his nose and mouth could be seen. Heat packs were placed around the body then he was wrapped in each blanket and then the ground sheet, his mummified form placed on a cot up off the wooden flooring of the tent.

"What now?" asked Blake.

"We wait. He could remain like this for hours, maybe days, or he might be dead. The helicopter is scheduled to fly over tomorrow morning and when they see we haven't put out the all clear flag, they'll land and we can ship him out, then he won't be our problem anymore."

* * *

Jack awoke to find himself spread-eagled naked on a mattress, his wrists and ankles cuffed to the metal bedposts. Looking around, he noticed the cabin was far inferior to the one he and Chase had just left. This one had no windows that he could see and there was a dampness to the air. Perhaps they were underground? The air was chilly on his bare skin but he was still covered in a nervous sweat.

Where the hell was Liz? He didn't think for a moment that she had left him to starve like Chase. She might do that later, once she tired of him, but she would be sure to have her fun first.

Craning his neck, he tried to take in all the details, the location of the door, the small kitchen which might hold knives and other weapons, the light switches, the dull hum of the generator. Glancing to his right, he saw the side table with it's neatly aligned sex toys.

Hearing a door bang, he closed his eyes and tried to settle his breathing, the beating of his heart sounding loud in his ears. He had no desire to play her sick games... he'd rather let the bitch think he was still paralysed.

* * *

_**you review, I'll update :)**_


	16. Chapter 16

**_My thanks to Ghostreader for your lovely reviews, welcome to the madness :) _**

* * *

Jack listened as the water ran in the bathroom then strained at the sudden silence, wondering what she could be doing. When the warm hand touched his forehead he flinched in surprise and her low chuckle sent his mind swirling back to those few hours of happiness in her arms all those years ago.

"Come on Jack, I know you're fine so no need to play possum. How about a nice sponge bath, hmmm? I see you've been working up a sweat."

Taking no notice of his closed eyes, nor his silence, Liz sat on the bed and draped a towel over his shoulders. Taking up the sponge she began a gentle caress over Jack's forehead, dipping the sponge at every second pass to ensure it remained warm. The languid strokes, the musical trickle as the water ran from the squeezed sponge, the familiar hint of Liz's perfume and Jack, quite involuntarily, found himself relaxing. When she began to sponge his neck, he lifted his chin slightly to make it easier for her and then he felt the heat on his face as he realised what he'd done. Liz didn't pause; the sponge bath continued, with Liz slowly working her way down his body.

Jack knew he had no choice over what was about to happen, she was a master manipulator, well practised in the sexual arts. But though he had no control over his body, his mind was still his own and he could detach and disassociate. Retreating, he tried to make his mind go blank. But no matter what he tried, it seemed there was one image he couldn't erase, it played over and over in a constant loop. He went to sit up but the cuffs pulled him back and he sank down onto the bed, his heart racing, his body covered once again in a cold sweat.

Liz laid her hand on his chest, "Shhh Jack, it's okay, you nodded off and you had a bad dream."

But Jack knew it wasn't a dream, it was his living nightmare; the image of Chase's face as it erupted in blood, his look turning from shock to sadness as he flew backwards off the bluff.

Placing the bowl and towel aside, Liz stood and allowed the silk robe to drop from her shoulders. "I want to thank you Jack. I brought Chase here for him to die and I never expected you would help me. And now that he's gone there's no one left to rescue you." Leaning over him, she smiled, "You're mine now Jack, all mine, and I can do to you whatever I fancy."

* * *

Red leaned back against the smooth granite boulder and watched the clouds scud across the face of the moon. Bad weather was on the way and he ran through a mental checklist of their supplies and nodded in satisfaction with the final tally. Blake and Charley were good kids with lots of back country experience but they sometimes seemed somewhat lackadaisical when it came to safety. They took no chances with their dog team which they had transported down from Saskatchewan, nor with their camera equipment which they cleaned and fussed over every evening, but when it came to personal safety they could be arbitrary.

Red had found their system of packing emergency equipment on their sled was to simply throw their sleeping bags on top to cushion the camera gear. Thankfully they hadn't left Truckee at that stage and Red had marched them to the largest outfitters where he ensured they stocked up on extra bags, cooking equipment, thermals and a tent, all to be permanently stowed on the sled.

"If your sled sinks in the thaw or falls into a spruce trap, you need to ensure you still have your base camp intact," he sternly informed them.

No, his only concern here was the stranger. It appeared he was a victim but the wounds had been inflicted over a period of years and he wondered what kind of life he led to sustain so many deliberate injuries. Red had taken the precaution of getting ropes ready in case they needed to restrain him. And who had shot him? Were there others out there still posing a threat?

He looked again at the photo. It was the only personal item in the man's clothing and he wondered at the possible connection between the mysterious man and this carefree family laughing into the camera.

Watching at the shadows race across the frozen lake, Red felt the old familiar shiver of dread creep over him. He had grown up just outside Truckee and had spent his boyhood exploring the woods and lakes of the area. Yet since that fateful summer's day he had never felt comfortable near Azalea Lake. As kids they all used to scare each other with stories of the Donner Party, of cannibals hiding out in the woods just waiting to catch unwary children. Full of confidence in his abilities in the woods, Red hadn't taken much notice of the stories. But then there was that summer, the summer when he was 14 and was returning home to Truckee with his best friends Ben and Nate.

They had spent an unusally hot 4th of July weekend camping out on the shores of Lake Angela, their days filled with swimming and fishing. But hiking back out with their heavy backpacks seemed endless and exhausting in the blistering heat. They had paused on a bluff overlooking Azalea Lake; the water still and dark, it had appeared very inviting for a cooling dip. Throwing down their packs and shrugging off their sweaty clothing, the three boys stood together, egging each other on for the 25 foot drop into the black depths below.

With a scream of joy Ben ran straight off the bluff and cannonballed into the dark waters below. Red followed immediately, dropping off the bluff in a pencil dive, his feet smacking the water with such force his mouth opened in pain. As the cold water washed over his head, his mouth automatically closed but the pain had taken his breath and he pulled strongly with his arms as he began a powerful scissor kick to return to the surface, his chest heavy with need. Breaking the surface he tipped his head back and gulped for air, the sky looking impossibly blue against the black of the granite boulders and the green of the spruce trees. Looking around, he wondered where the twins were, they were never quiet and they were never apart.

A faint shouting reached his waterlogged ears and he looked over to see Nate treading water, his face ashen, "Red, he's still down there, he hasn't come up!"

Taking a lungful of air, Red dove down searching through the black water, but he couldn't see a thing. Rising up, he took a deeper lungful and descended, trying to remember from his life-guard lessons how many minutes Ben could be 'dead' before any attempt at resuscitation was pointless.

His lungs burning, he felt he had to return to the surface but he could see pale movement ahead. Kicking frantically, he swam towards it and saw Ben's face turn towards him, his arm reaching out for help. His eyes wide open in shock, his mouth opened in a silent scream as he drew further away. Red wondered how Ben was able to move so fast when neither his arms nor legs were moving. Desperate now for air, Red turned for the surface when he was grabbed by the ankle and he found himself being pulled down into the darkness. His mouth opened in a desperate strive for oxygen and he watched in despair as his last bubbles of air rose upward towards the surface, towards life, as he was pulled downward through the layers of frigid water.

His movements getting clumsy, he reached for the knife strapped to his arm and pulling it clear of the sheath, he slashed out at whatever was holding him. The relentless grip released and he looked up at the faint light far above and he knew he couldn't make it. Never one to give up, he flailed as the light began to fade but then a calm acceptance took over his body and he relaxed, his limbs hanging loose. He didn't feel the sharp pull on the top of his head as his crew-cut was grabbed, nor did he feel the smooth stones as he was dragged from the lake.

Rolled onto his stomach, his arms were vigorously pumped back and forth until he heaved up a throat-burning passage of water. Lying back on the hot stones, he tried to catch his breath and he found himself repeating 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry' over and over. The image of the pale hands grasping at Ben's shoulders, pulling him down, would remain with him forever. It was only when Nate brought his clothes down to the clearing and he went to dress that he noticed the strands of long blonde hair wrapped tight around his ankle.

Ben's body was never recovered. The divers spent a week looking, but eventually the search was called off. The Inquest mentioned lake weed and cold water temperatures as probable causes of the drowning but Azalea Lake was a 'dead' lake from its high alkaline content. It had neither fish nor weeds.

Suppressing a shudder at the memories, Red stubbed out his cigarette and rose to return to the tent. The boys wouldn't allow him to smoke in 'their air'. A situation he didn't mind as the touch of solitude each day was welcome.

Red paused as a distant rumble reached his ears. It was a more constant noise than the occasional grumbling of the lake as the ice began to thaw, this sounded like a plane overhead, a heavy military plane, flying low. He wondered what it was doing in this area. Despite their close proximity to Nevada's various military bases, the planes usually avoided flying here because of the communications dead zone.

Red wondered briefly if the mystery man could be attached to the military. But no, the starvation and bites seemed far more personal than a military operation. He thought again of the man's bullet wounds. High on the right shoulder, they were placed precisely as if to disarm without killing. So was he shot by an expert marksman, or was the placement merely by chance? Well he shrugged, whatever it was, it wasn't his problem. In the morning the helicopter would land to take the stranger and they would be left to continue their hunt for the wolves.

* * *

**_kindly review for more_**


	17. Chapter 17

Jack idly played with her hair, picking up a lock and twisting it around his finger before pulling it back off her face. The sweat had curled her hair and made it appear darker, a look which suited her. Midway through their athletic bout she had loosened his left hand so he was able to caress and fondle, to hold and probe, as she twisted above and around him. He found it difficult to even look at her, let alone willingly touch her, but he needed information and he knew from past experience how to get her to talk.

She lay perpendicular to him, with her head resting on his hip, and he knew it was no accident that each time she moved her hair brushed over his groin, her silken strands falling down to caress his sensitive skin. Running his fingers lightly over her forehead, he trailed them down as far as he could reach and began to lightly stroke her earlobe. Come on Liz, he willed, move your chin up a little and come a fraction closer, then I'll gladly strangle you with my one free hand. Perhaps sensing the danger she moved further away then sighed in contentment murmuring, "Jack, I'm very impressed that you found me, however did you manage it?"

"I just followed the clues you left me."

"Clues? What clues?" she asked, sitting up in bewilderment.

"You know, the fishing knot, the restaurant flyer, everything."

Springing off the bed, Liz forcefully secured his free hand then wrapped herself in her silken robe. Jack knew she was alarmed about something but he couldn't even begin to guess what it could be. Leaning close she used her fingernails, sharp and painful, to move his face so they were eye to eye. "What clues Jack?" she demanded.

So he told her about the Surgeon's Knot known as Jack's Lure, Chase's car parked on the corner of Sierra and Nevada, the Donner Kebab flyer, Lake Angela. He watched Liz carefully, noticing the goosebumps as they broke out over her exposed arms, how she crossed her arms defensively over her chest, the rapid breathing. She's scared, he marvelled, and wished he knew why.

He remained silent, willing her to talk, to reveal her worry. Looking at him, Liz shook her head as if in denial, then burst out laughing wildly, her head thrown back exposing her long elegant neck. Jack remembered kissing that neck as it arched back over the side of the bed... but that was years ago, back when he was enraptured, before he discovered he was ensnared.

Wiping her eyes Liz sank down beside him and drew her knees up to her chin. She suddenly looked small and vulnerable, but the grin of triumph belied the posture. Leaning in, she kissed him on the lips, her mouth still tasting of sex, tasting of him.

"Don't you just love life Jack?" she breathed happily. "Just when you think it's a bitch, it turns around and does magic... I still can't fathom how you got here, perhaps it was divine intervention... I left his car at a random corner near the off ramp where I was parked, and the restaurant flyer must have been added later. I only left the knot because I wanted Kim to know who had taken her husband, I didn't know it was called Jack's Lure."

Laughing, unable to contain her glee, she said, "I didn't even know you were alive and I certainly didn't leave clues, I intended that he never be found again, but.. that's what makes this so perfect... you follow clues I didn't leave to rescue him and yet you're the one who kills him... I looked over the edge Jack and he was lying quite still. With a fall of over 20 feet onto hard ice, there was no way he could survive being shot, the fall and the cold."

Leaning close, she kissed him again, this time trying to slip her tongue into his mouth but he held his lips clamped tight. "Oh come on Jack, don't pout, I had enough of that from your sonny boy. You know, in all the time we were together he only ever said two words to me... Perhaps I ought to send Kim a card of condolence for her loss. How should I sign it? From Liz, who fucked your husband, or from Daddy, who killed your husband, hmmm...  
"So why did you shoot him Jack? Oh, don't misunderstand me, I'm thrilled you did, but also puzzled... you didn't like him? I seem to recall he did save your life just two minutes before you shot him, getting you out of that spruce trap. And let's not forget the Major, yes, he saved your life by killing my Daddy, which is why I wanted him dead. I had planned him a lonely death, with no light or warmth or food, his only sound the screams of his family as they're hacked to pieces. Yeah I wanted the bastard to suffer... but you Jack, you made it perfect."

Jack was sinking into a mire, the liquid ooze pressing in as he sank lower, the constriction to his chest becoming painful, his stomach squeezed and he knew he was about to throw up or his bowels explode or maybe both. Liz jumped away in alarm and fetched a plastic bowl from the kitchen. She loosened his right arm so he could lean over and throw up. With a look of disgust she cleaned him up and dumped the contents of the bowl down the loo.

Returning, she stood at the side of the bed, "Christ Jack, look at you, you're as bad as he was, another weak stomach. You know, I feel sorry for Kim, he was so bloody boring, no imagination at all. Oh, he had a great body... great stamina too," she smirked, "But no capacity for evil at all, very limiting really. Kim should thank us for what we did for her... So why did you Jack? Why kill him?"

Jack's mind was swirling, unable to answer... why had he shot Chase? He remembered the unrelenting pressure of unease, every action by Chase seemed normal and yet Jack felt the menace, the underlying tension, the claustrophobia pressing all around.

"I thought you'd brainwashed him..."

"Nah, I wouldn't waste my time. He wasn't a keeper Jack, not like you. Oh yes, I'll keep you alright. I only snatched him to kill him and it's just a happy accident that I ended up with you, I really thought you were dead."

"But Chase said you told him I was alive, you warned him I'd come and kill him."

"I was just playing with his mind. It worked too, he got really upset when I said you were alive and had no wish to contact Kim, even when she was hospitalised. Oh yes, I assured him, he's abandoned you both. 'That's impossible,' he said. But I was right, you did abandon them and you did kill him... I must be a fortune teller, I should set up a booth."

Liz paused and listened intently then raced for the door, grabbing her jacket, snow pants and boots on the way out. Straining, Jack couldn't hear anything except the blood pounding from the horror of what Liz had said. Should he believe her? Yes, he had the terrible feeling it was the truth.

Liz returned inside, stamping her feet to remove the snow from her boots and rubbing her arms for warmth. Her voice was bright with excitement. "Ha," she cried, pacing the room in long strides, her cheeks flushed from the cold, "When I was in China I heard this wild tale of how you were marked for assassination by the US Government to ensure you couldn't reveal their secrets. The Chinese didn't believe you were dead, but they didn't care as they knew the US would deal with you."

Laughing, she spun around in a circle, hugging herself in her joy. Throwing herself down alongside him she giggled, "Guess what I saw outside. A military plane flying very low and parachutes coming down. They don't do maneuvers here because of the communication black hole. That can only mean one thing, they're here on a special mission. They must be hunting for you Jack... and I'm the only one who can save you. Oh how delicious, I love it!."


End file.
